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GIMP Inkscape for Android is a ridiculously ambitious project, involving making a Linux emulator to get two of the most popular non-Photoshop drawing apps working on Android. We’re talking about GIMP and Inkscape.

Both are open source, which is why it has been possible for developer Pelya to try and get them working on Androids like the Note 4. GIMP is a standard image editing/drawing tool, while Inkscape is all about vectors, making it more of a design application than a drawing one.

The effort that has gone into this free port really deserves a round of applause. You get all the functionality of the full versions of these bits of software, making them potentially the most powerful and fully-featured art apps for Android. The question is – would you want to use them?

The issue with GIMP Inkscape is that there are no real concessions to the smaller screen size of Android phones and tablets, compared to the monitors GIMP and Inkscape are really designed for use with. Thankfully, it will work pretty well with the Note 4’s stylus, making the teeny-tiny interface elements a bit easier to work with.

Perhaps we’re asking for too much, but if Pelya could somehow work on a scaling optimiser to make GIMP a bit easier to use on a 5.7-inch screen, we could be looking at the go-to app for serious drawing and editing work. You get layers, the full GIMP/Inkscape interfaces and pressure sensitivity support.

As you can tell from the hundreds of one-star reviews on Google Play, though, not everyone has fallen in love with it. Not only has the interface not been modified for mobile devices, the performance hasn’t really been optimised enough either. You’ll need some patience to get the most out of GIMP Inkscape, even with a Note 4.